Christopher Jacob Daughtry is originally from Lasker, North Carolina. When he was a teenager, he and his family moved to Virginia. According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the diminutive Daughtry graduated from Fluvanna County High School in Palmyra, Virginia in 1998. The 26-year-old vocalist is married with two children from his wife's first marriage. He is the lead singer of the North Carolina-based rock band Absent Element, a band with at least two self-produced CDs, a wide following and airplay on Raleigh's WBBB 96.1 FM contemporary rock station. His day job is as a service advisor with a car dealership in Greensboro, North Carolina.

In a segment on the 2006 season of American Idol, Daughtry revealed he is afflicted with alopecia and maintains a shaved head in an effort to maintain an asthetically pleasing appearance.

Inspired by Bo Bice, Daughtry auditioned for American Idol in Denver, Colorado with Joe Cocker's "The Letter"; he was portrayed as a young rocker with Southern and hard rock influences. He passed the audition by a split decision with Idol judge Simon Cowell saying no.

On March 1, 2006, Chris's "raw" performance of Fuel's "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)" received critical acclaim by all three judges. On March 3, 2006, judge Randy Jackson stated in an interview that Chris had been offered the opportunity to become Fuel's new lead singer. As of March 4, 2006, the band's official website was advertising for a new lead singer and mentioned that Chris Daughtry's performance had impressed them.

Daughtry has also played guitar on Idol in group performances. Daughtry's fan's on AmericanIdol.com's message boards are commonly known as the "Daughtribe" or "Chrisaders", though there are many other smaller fan groups.

He has a wife and a seven-year-old daughter and five-year-old son from his wife's previous marriage.

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When did you first start to sing?I seriously started when I was 16 or 17.

Do you have any formal singing training?None at all.

What other talents do you have?I'm an artist (drawing, painting, etc.).

If you don't make it on AMERICAN IDOL, what will you do?I will continue to pursue my music and live my life with my family.

What are your personal goals in life?To have a successful marriage and be a good father. To have a long-lasting career in music.

What album would your friends be surprised you own?Richard Marx.

Who is your AMERICAN IDOL?That's a tough one.

Do you have any rituals or things you do each time you perform?I do push ups and vocal exercises.

Most embarrassing moments?I was taking photos with my first band and my leather pants ripped and my butt was showing. It was great.

What has been your proudest moment in life so far?Teaching my son to ride a bike. Making it to the top 24.

If you couldn't sing, which talent would you most like to have?I'd like to be a piano player.

What is your definition of an AMERICAN IDOL?Someone who works hard. A good entertainer.

Who is your favorite judge and why?All of them.

What would people be surprised to learn about you?I wanted to be a martial arts film star when I was a teenager.

How has this changed your life?I'm living my dream now.

Do you have any lucky charms?My wife.

Who are your heroes in life?My wife.

What's been your toughest obstacle in life?Fatherhood. Very challenging.

Do you think the audition process was fair?Yes.

If you win, who will you thank first?God, then my wife, and so on and so on.

An example of Chris' art. Um...not my type of art! I left my comments...for what it's worth!"Aww c'mon Chris......stick to singing. That drawing is way far out there...depicting your wife over-muscled & ugly? arrggghh. She's LOTS better looking in real life. In fact, so are you! Don't like your drawing, nooo way."

Thanks Rudy for posting this most interesting information. I love Chris and hope he wins as I would buy his cd as well. He is cute to me and does remind me of vin diesel. I would have loved to seen the picture of his butt ripping out of his leather pants. Sounds to me if he doesn't win Idol he will be fine and still have a nice career. But I agree with jeff that Chris is handpicked to win. But I agree on their choice for once.

Actually, I just pieced it together this morning at work. They had a radio commercial which said the outcome was shocking. I also read a spoiler article that mentioned something about how Chris' fans must not have voted for him thinking he was safe.

From the beginning I thought Taylor would win. But, Chris should have been advanced to next week. I still do not think it was because his fans got complacent. Taylor has been the only one that has not been in the bottom three/two. The only one!!!